"Fraught with Humor and Passion"
Fans of Lisa's paranormal romances will not be disappointed
in her first single title historical. Ms. Cach has a gift
for taking dark subject matter, and turning her characters'
lives around with humor and passion. Unable to stand her abusive, loveless marriage any longer,
Konstanze has fled to Corwall. Her husband had seemed like
a kindly older gentleman when Konstanze had given her dying
mother her promise to let him take care of her. Her mother
had been an actress, a dubious career choice in the
nineteenth century. She had only wished for security and
respectability for her only child. Konstanze's husband had
changed the moment the ring was on her finger, becoming
demanding, possessive, and cruel. Settling in the village of Penperro, far from her husband's
home, she hopes to begin again in relative anonymity. The
lives of the villagers are not easy. Most rely on smuggling
as opposed to fishing to make ends meet. Naturally the King
is not going to stand for that. He has sent the
Preventative Water Guard to the village to curtail their
illegal activities. Tom Trewella, himself, had long ago come to Penperro to
start a new life. He'd once wanted to be a teacher, now his
goal is to ensure that the smuggling continues. He's
not about to let a little thing like the King's Guard
defeat
him. The man in charge of the guard is an affable, if dimwitted
fellow. Tom has no wish to do him harm. Having seen
Konstanze voice her joy in song during an exhilarating
swim, the man believes he's discovered a mermaid. It is
then that Tom hatches a plan to distract the Guard from
their smuggling activities. Tom, aware of Konstanze's true identity, persuades her to
play the role. At first she agrees, to protect her
anonymity, but as she warms up to the role, she finds that
she might share her mother's blood after all. At any rate
she needs the money he's offered her. Unfortunately the
guardsman isn't the only one falling in love with her. Tom
is too honorable to dally with another man's wife, or is he? This book is fraught with humor, as one can imagine when
trying to pull off such a wild scheme. The story keeps the
reader on the edge of their seat, waiting for Konstanze to
be discovered by either the Guard or her husband's greedy
son. The sexual tension between Tom and Konstanze is
marvelous, and it's difficult not to revel with her in her
journey of self discovery. Lest you be concerned that
adultery is afoot, rest assured that all is not what it
seems. I think everyone will be satisfied with the plot's
resolution. Look for Lisa's next historical, THE WILDEST
SHORE coming in October 2001, and her next paranormal,
DRAGON MAIDEN, in June 2002 (title was changed to GEORGE
AND THE VIRGIN). Copyright © 2001
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted August 23, 2001
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